Course:Level 3 Business
Year:2016
Date:26/09/2016
Section 1
Consider the skills listed below and rate how important you think each skill is for employment and how competent you are in
this skill. Consider how each of these skills may enhance your performance, and allow you to develop and advance further.
You may wish to discuss these with your advisor of studies. Alternatively, you may wish to ask a friend or family member, and
to compare and discuss your separate findings.
Once you have rated yourself, multiply the number in the column marked Competence with that in the column Job
Importance. So, for example, if you feel that you are not very proficient in verbal and written communication (i.e. you have
rated your competence at 4), but that these skills are very important for employment (i.e. you have rated it at 5), then your
overall total score would be 5 X 4 = 20.
Section 2
This section will provide you with examples of the types of evidence you can provide to demonstrate your level of
competence with each skill.
SKILL
COMPETENCE
JOB
IMPORTANCE
COMPETENCE
X
JOB
IMPORTANCE
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
COMMUNICATION
Written:
X
Ability to express self well in writing
Verbal:
Informal ability to network easily
with other people
Formal ability to express self clearly
and concisely to a group of people
Non-verbal:
Listening ability to attend actively to
others views and ideas and understand
their point of view
X 10
10
X 5
X 10
Sensitivity
Ability to respond appropriately to
individual differences, e.g., age, gender,
etc.
Leadership
Ability to encourage and motivate
others
SKILL
X 10
COMPETENCE
12
JOB
IMPORTANCE
COMPETENCE
X
JOB
IMPORTANCE
X 15
X 15
APPLICATION OF NUMBER
Calculations
Ability to use a calculator or PC to
X 10
make calculations
Interpretation
Ability to interpret descriptive statistics,
e.g. ratios percentages, means, standard
deviations
Ability to interpret inferential statistics,
e.g., confidence intervals, statistical
significance, effect size
Application
Ability to organise and present
numerical data in an appropriate manner
16
12
12
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
File Management Techniques
Ability to create, store and retrieve files
Word Processing (e.g. MS Word)
Ability to use a word processing (WP)
package to produce a variety of formats
of documents
Spreadsheets (e.g., MS Excel)
Ability to use a spreadsheet to record
and manipulate different sets of data
SKILL
X 10
X 15
X 15
COMPETENCE
JOB
IMPORTANCE
COMPETENCE
X
JOB
IMPORTANCE
X 15
database
Ability to create a database
X 15
X 5
X 5
X
X
X
PROBLEM SOLVING
Creativity
Ability to generate new ideas or
conceive existing ideas in a new way
Organisation and Planning
Ability to set down a systematic
sequence of activities and carry them
through in an effective manner
Research
Ability to gather information in a
systematic way to establish certain facts
12
12
or principles
SKILL
COMPETENCE
Analysis
Ability to understand and summarise
information
Initiative
Ability to initiate, take decisions and act
resourcefully
JOB
IMPORTANCE
COMPETENCE
X
JOB
IMPORTANCE
X 10
12
SKILL
Study Skills
Ability to manage and prioritise time to
12
12
COMPETENCE
JOB
IMPORTANCE
COMPETENCE
X
JOB
IMPORTANCE
X 10
meet deadlines
X
X
X 15
6
X
12
Skill Area
Action Plan for Development and where you can access these
I have used spreadsheets before but not a lot. I think I need more work on these because in human resources they
will se spreadsheets a lot to record wages and money that is being used. I will need to learn to use spreadsheets
properly and be able to just get on with making them rather than asking someone for help.
2. Ability to create a
Creating a database is important for the job that I am interested in because you are looking after other colleagues
that work within your company. So a database is needed to collect their information and keep it safe and look after
all the information that they provide to the company. I would like to build my skills on this and to do that I think I
will have to do research on what is needed as well as going on work experience.
database
3. Ability to interpret
descriptive statistics, e.g.
ratios percentages, means,
standard deviations
This is an important key ability, because in human resources it is their responsibility to sort peoples wages out,
they will have to use ratio percentages, means and standard deviations for their job. I have a little bit of knowledge
of how these are used but not much, so in order to gain this skill I will need to do practise and have helped on how
they work.
Communication may be formal or informal, personal or impersonal, creative or factual. Messages may be delivered verbally, in writing or nonverbally. There are many areas where examples of each communication approach may have been successfully applied, at university, at work, at
home, etc
Written - Ability to express self well in writing Ability to express self well in writing
Essays/reports for School/University, competitions, Scholarships, Work
I have written reports when doing my assignments in college. For example when we did a jobs fair at Shipley
College, once we had finished we had to write a report on how we thought the event went. Whether we would
change anything for when we ran an event again and what we thought went well.
Reports/Minutes from Committees/Clubs
When planning our jobs fair event we had to have meetings and take minutes, explaining what we were going to
do and when it was going to be completed by. These minutes would be shared with our project manager and he
would keep check on making sure our tasks were getting done on time.
When we were doing our jobs fair we created a poster, so that we could advertise to students of college.
Letters to gain sponsorship/support, contact new friends/old friends
Here is an e-mail that I sent to the head of business, making sure that she approved of the poster that had been
created for the jobs fair.
Verbal:
Informal ability to network easily with other people
Tutorials, socially (making friends, making contacts), gathering or giving information, for example for a holiday or to solve a problem at
work or to arrange an outing (in person or over the telephone)
I have informal communication with people on a daily basis, for example I will text my friends to arrange to go out
and meet up. This is informal because it is only to my friends and doesnt need to be professional. I will also have
informal communication with people in person, as when I am with my family and friends I will be casual and talk
informally.
Formal ability to express self clearly and concisely to a group of people
Presentations university/school/clubs/committees/interviews
I have had an interview at Morrisons recently and I had to make sure that I gave clear communication and that I
was able to give examples for each question I was asked because this way they are able to get an insight on what
type of person I am.
Non-verbal:
Listening ability to attend actively to others views and ideas and understand their point of view
Lectures (evidenced from good notes and good results!), in groups/teams, peer tutoring, supporting/counselling others, ability to take
instructions (e.g. when learning a new skill music, driving, sport).
When we are in college and our tutor is going through what is to be done on tasks in the assignments, I always
make sure to have notes written down in my books, as this way I am able to follow constructions clearly. As well
as being able to help others and support them.
Body Language ability to match body language appropriately to what is being said verbally
Body language (eye contact, posture, movement, expression, etc) in presentations, socially, on holidays, at work.
When I have been in a formal situation, my body language will be to sit up straight, hands resting on my lap and
eyes focused on the person who is speaking. When I am speaking I will make sure I am clear and loud so that the
person I am speaking to understands me. I always make sure to nod to show the person speaking that I am
acknowledging what is being said. This has occurred when I was in my interview at Morrisons as I had to be
professional and make sure to answer all questions in a professional manner with examples.
I have been involved in negotiation before when running our business jobs fair event, because we had to discuss
where we were going to have the event. I was involved in deciding whether we were going to go with having a free
venue or an expensive one that wasnt part of Shipley College. So it was up to us to negotiate with a tutor on
getting the best venue, so we chose the venue within Shipley College because more students would attend.
Sensitivity- Ability to respond appropriately to individual differences, e.g., age, gender, etc.
You many have developed this skill through working on a student nightline or help line, being a course or hall rep, committee work etc.
Depending on what age group I am talking to, the way I speak changes. As if I am talking to an employee I will
make sure to speak in a professional manner, whereas if I am speaking to a child I will make sure that I talk in a
way that they will understand me, this is because children may not know big words at a young age.
Leadership - Ability to encourage and motivate others
Obvious examples include: being a team captain, drama directing, chairing a committee etc. Less obvious examples include: editing a magazine, cocoordinating the activities of a group who are planning a social event etc.
I have taken leadership when running the jobs fair event, as I was the manager of the marketing team.
APPLICATION OF NUMBER
Calculations
- Ability to use a calculator or PC to make calculations
Interpretation - Ability to interpret descriptive statistics, e.g. ratios percentages, means, standard deviations
- Ability to interpret inferential statistics, e.g., confidence intervals, statistical significance, effect size
Application
-Ability to organize and present numerical data in an appropriate manner
You can draw evidence directly from your degree if a high level of numeric or mathematical ability is an essential part of your programme of
study. If this is not the case you can demonstrate this skill by GCSE/AS/A level Maths, a job involving a significant amount of work with
numerical data, a leisure or extra- curricular activity that involves manipulating figures etc.
I have numerical skills, as I have done maths all throughout my educational years and I have passed my maths this year in
June.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
File Management Techniques - Ability to create, store and retrieve files
Have you ever - Saved a file to disk to print in university?
Accessed information on the university network?
Word Processing - Ability to use a word processing package to produce a variety of formats of documents
Have you produced letters, CVs, coursework, posters, and flyers?
When I studied at St Joseph's we would practice letters in English, so I have an idea of what they need to involve.
I have written my CV at Shipley College in centre of excellence, I created my CV earlier this year and always go
back to it and update it. I have been doing coursework since I started my business level 3 course last September
at Shipley College. I've created posters throughout school and then one was created for the jobs fair event.
Spreadsheets - Ability to use a spreadsheet to record and manipulate different sets of data
Can you: -Input information? , Produce graphs? , Use formula to calculate averages, maximums, totals etc?
Databases - Ability to retrieve information from a database/ Ability to create a database
Can you: - Run queries?, View reports? , Use macros, Use tables to view the information you want? etc
Can you: - Create tables?, Create relationships?, Design queries? Etc.
I use google on a daily basis, I use google for my coursework and just in general, like for social media or
shopping.
PROBLEM SOLVING
Creativity - Ability to generate new ideas or conceive existing ideas in a new way
Perhaps you have found a new way of approaching your coursework or taken over a project from someone else bringing a fresh approach to
achieving a goal. Do you produce publicity materials for a charity?
I first started off doing my coursework by just writing notes and then going straight into the assignment, whereas
now I will collect my notes, write a quick draft of what I want to write in my assignment and then write the final
piece on google docs. This way I can read over it before handing it in.
Organisation and Planning - Ability to set down a systematic sequence of activities and carry them through in an effective manner
Perhaps you have organised a group holiday or club event; do you use a diary or action plan for successful study/revision?
I have started using a diary as this way I am able to write down what is happening one day and this way I know
what needs to be done.
Research - Ability to gather information in a systematic way to establish certain facts or principles
Perhaps you have looked into different options for a place at university live or conducted research for an assignment / project. Writing an
article for a journal or magazine.
I have used different resources to collect data and information, as this way I will be able to see which website
gives the best information needed and which I find best to use.
Analysis - Ability to understand and summarise information (Detailed examination of structure and content)
Perhaps you enjoy digging into or interrogating a topic or concept for better awareness such as reading articles in a broadsheet paper or
professional journal. Consider your examples of independent study such as academic essays and dissertations.
When given data to look at I am able to look over it and gather the information that I need and pick out parts that
are the most important.
Initiative - Ability to initiate, take decisions and act resourcefully
Do you undertake tasks in your part-time job without waiting for someone else to give the order? Deciding to create your own website or
start a new club
For my job I will go in and start a task immediately as I don't want to just stand around and seem like I am
waiting to be told what to do. Although I will usually ask my manager beforehand what they would like me to do
that day and this is because I am still in training for my job.
I am able to reflect on and critique my own performance as in school when I did drama I would have to look back
and say what I think I did good at and what I think needs to be worked on.
This is always good because I am able to pick out my strengths and weaknesses on my own rather than having to
be told.
Study Skills - Ability to manage and prioritise time to meet deadlines
- Ability to identify relevant sources of information, including people and reference material
- Ability to use a library to find books and journal articles
- Ability to take notes, organize them, and integrate them with other sources of information
- Ability to reference materials using an appropriate system, e.g., Harvard or Vancouver
These are very specific statements and you should be able to provide the required evidence. The kinds of questions you should be asking
yourself are: - Do you use a timetable to organize assignments and prepare for exams?, Do you use a diary to record times and locations of
classes and adviser of study sessions? Are you fully aware of how you learn most effectively and make full use of the current range of
learning opportunities available to you? etc.
I always make sure that I am meeting my deadlines and getting my work in when it is due, this way I am not
allowing it to build up or stress me out. When I am collecting information I will always use google and I will
sometimes use the college library to get the book that I am needing. I will always make notes in lessons so that I
know what I am doing throughout my work. When I have completed an assignment I will make sure to always
Harvard reference everything.